


Changes in Attitude

by khughes830



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s06e22 2162 Votes, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-04-29
Updated: 2005-04-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khughes830/pseuds/khughes830
Summary: What happened after Josh brought Will and Donna beer.





	Changes in Attitude

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Changes in Attitude**

**by: Kathleen**

**Character(s):** Will, Josh and Donna, mostly  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance, Post-Episode 2162 Votes   
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** The characters aren’t mine, but thank God to Aaron Sorkin for creating them. My life would not have been the same without them.   
**Summary:** What happened after Josh brought Will and Donna beer.  
**Spoiler:** 2162 Votes  
**Author's Note:** Can I just complain for a sec – we get NOTHING – not a kiss, a hug, anything!?! It’s a little frustrating – and now us J/D Shippers have to wait till like September to see what happens! AHHHHH!! Ok, I feel better! So, this is my way with dealing – what happened after the “show” ended! 

He knew he should have stayed on the floor as the Congressman made his speech, but he really wanted to be elsewhere. He handed over his binder and notes to Ronna and left her in charge of the floor. There really wasn’t much left to do except be there for the Congressman and Leo after they came off the stage and he knew that Ronna could handle that. He told her to call him on his cell if something came up. With that, he went to the Santos room, grabbed the remaining beers out of the small refrigerator in their conference room and headed out to find the Russell camp. 

It was just Will and Donna there when he entered quietly. He had no idea where the rest of the staff went and he had heard that the Vice President had headed back to Washington after the vote had finished. The room was quiet except for the television. Will had his head down on the desk. He was obviously feeling very defeated and probably a little lost. Will had been so gun-ho about the Russell campaign that he had actually convinced himself that Russell was the best man for the job. He felt a little sorry for Will – he knew the feeling of frustration and defeat. He had felt that way many, many years ago while he had worked for John Hoynes. 

Donna was harder to read. He hadn’t had much practice of late, but what he saw surprised him. He had expected Donna to be reacting the same way that Will was – lost, defeated, upset – but she wasn’t. The look on her face was a mixture of defeat, awe, and, he thought, pride. 

Without saying a word, he opened up three beers. He placed one next to Will, handed Donna one, and sat down in the chair next to her and took a swig of his beer. This is where he wanted to be – sharing this moment of triumph and defeat with his two friends. No matter what, he still considered these two people to be his friends. Not many people had cared for Will when he joined the West Wing staff, but he saw so much potential in Will, he didn’t write him off like Toby and CJ did, especially after he left to work for the Vice-President. While they had had their moments on the campaign, but they had this common bond now – this wild rollercoaster ride of a Democratic primary season – and he now had a new found respect for Will and his passion for politics. He knew it was there all those years ago when he managed to get a dead Democrat elected in the California 47th and he was pleased to know that that passion still lived. 

While the President spoke about Matthew Santos and Leo McGarry, he took a moment to look at Donna. He was in awe of this woman – she was far from the naïve girl who walked into New Hampshire all those years ago. She was no longer Josh Lyman’s assistant. She was now Donna Moss, political operative, someone to be contended with within the Democratic Party. She watched in awe as the President spoke about the Democratic party, just like she always watched the President speak, and sometimes, how she would sometimes watch him talk when he got going while they sat in his office working on some bill that Leo and the President wanted passed. While she watched television, he watched her in awe and his heart tightened just a little as he saw a small smile come to her face as the President spoke about those that had made his 8 years in the White House legendary and unforgettable. 

He turned his attention back to the television as the President introduced Matthew Santos. He had skimmed the Congressman’s speech before this had all started, but Santos was well known for doing his own thing, so he had no idea what he would really say. 

Donna shifted to get comfortable to watch the speech and Will lifted his head to watch as well. He watched Will look around the room and finally noticed that Josh had joined them. 

“Shouldn’t you be on the floor?” 

It seemed weird to hear someone speak. No one had spoken since he had entered the room. 

“Nah, Ronna’s got it under control.” 

Will turned his attention back to the TV as Santos started speaking. Santos started out by thanking the Democratic party for their support and for Leo McGarry for bringing experience and knowledge to this ticket and campaign. He knew what was coming next – the acknowledgements of the other candidates. Santos worked his way through Baker and Hoynes before turning his attention to the Vice-President. “I would also like to thank Vice-President Robert Russell for a well fought campaign. He is a great man and a dedicated public servant and the people of Colorado…” 

Josh and Donna both turned as they heard Will groan as he slammed his head on the desk again. He then shot straight up, drained his beer and threw the empty bottle in the trash can. 

“I can’t listen to this. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got my cell phone if… nevermind, forget it, I’ll be back at some point!” 

With that, Will stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Josh looked over at Donna as she stared at the door that Will had just stormed through. 

“I should go after him.” 

“Leave him be Donnatella. He needs to just blow off some steam.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Believe me, he wants to be alone right now. I know how he’s feeling – I had many an episode like that while working for Hoynes on the Hill.” 

And for the first time in weeks, months, actually, Donna graced him with a full on smile that made his heart flutter just a bit. He watched as she stood up, pulled her chair right next to his, sit back down and place her arm across his shoulders. He responded with a smile of his own, dimples and all, and by placing his right hand over the hand that was now resting on his shoulder. They sat like that through the rest of Matt Santos’ speech and through the closing commentary of the anchors on whatever channel Will and Donna had on. 

They watched as the network signed off from the Convention floor and went to commercial. As soon as they first commercial was over, Josh’s cell phone started ringing. He was very much enjoying the comfortable silence that he and Donna were sharing and was very much getting used to the neck massage she had started giving him. He grunted as she smiled shyly and removed her arm. He just stared at her as she finished her beer while he stood up and answered the phone. 

“Josh Lyman.” 

“Where are you? I was expecting you to be here when we came off stage.” 

“Sir, I told Ronna to handle everything. I just had somewhere else I wanted to be while you spoke.” His eyes never left Donna as he spoke to Santos. He huffed a little when she reached over for his still nearly full beer. 

“Josh, I just wanted to say thanks. I know I didn’t make this easy for you.” 

“You know that’s not going to change now, right?!?”

“I hadn’t really expected it to Congressman!” 

“Well, as long as you realize that. We’ve got a long battle ahead of us.” 

“Yes sir, we do!” 

“Hold on, Helen wants to talk to you.” 

“Yes sir.” He figured that he was going to be on the phone for a little bit, so he hopped up on the table. He watched Donna get out of the chair, hand him the beer, and hop up next to him. He took a quick swig of the beer and handed it back to Donna as she wrapped her left arm around his waist and laid her temple against his shoulder. He sighed and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her a little closer to him. 

“Josh!” 

“Yes Ma’am.” 

“Unbelievable!” 

“I know Ma’am!” 

“What’s next?” 

“A long campaign battle against a formidable Republican foe Mrs. Santos!” 

“You think we can actually do this?” 

“Absolutely Ma’am. I’m famous for picking the winners!” 

“That you are Josh. Hold on… ok, Matt has just given everyone tomorrow off. He said that everyone needs a day to regroup!” 

“I agree Ma’am. Tell him that’s fine, but that the four of us really need to meet tomorrow for an hour or so, just some preliminary decisions, stuff like that!” 

“Yeah, Leo said you would say that!” 

“Leo’s a smart man. He’s done this before.” 

“Josh, really, you did a great job!” 

“Thank you Mrs. Santos!” 

“Hold on, Leo wants to talk to you.” 

“Yeah, I figured, alright!” 

He sighed again as he heard the phone being passed to Leo. He looked down at Donna and saw her staring at him, smiling. He smiled back at her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She had a questioning look on her face, so he responded with “Leo wants to talk to me – surely he will be the last one!” That answered seemed to be what she was looking for, so she snuggled into him a little further and wrapped her other arm around his waist while she waited for him to talk to Leo. 

“You there, Josh.” 

“Yeah. Look, sorry I kind of disappeared on you all, but…” 

“Yeah, look, I figured that would happen. Are Will and Donna doing alright?” 

Damn, that man just knew him too well. Of everyone, he should have figured that Leo would know where he snuck off to. “You are too smart sometimes.” 

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” 

“Well, Will stormed out of here as the Congressman started in on Russell’s resume. He’s frustrated and very disappointed and probably very tired. He just needed to cool off. He’ll be fine.” 

“Well, good, he’s a good kid and he put his heart and soul into the Russell campaign.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Can Donna hear me?” 

Josh sighed again. He should have figured that Leo would know he wasn’t alone. He hit the speaker button phone on the cell and responded “she can now, Leo.” 

“Donna?” 

And for only the second time since he had come in the room, she spoke. “Leo?” 

“You did really good work, sweetheart.” 

“Thank you Leo, that means a lot. Congratulations as well.” She spoke all the while staying wrapped around Josh. 

“Thanks – a little unexpected, but a fabulous opportunity to do something more, something very different!” 

“You are going to make a great Vice-President!” 

“Donna, I just wanted to let you know that I’m proud of you, so is the President. We both agree that you seemed very instrumental in the Russell campaign and that he seemed to go far with your help. 

Josh could see her getting choked up as Leo spoke, so he knew he was going to have to respond for her. “Leo, great, now you’ve made her cry. You know I have no idea what to do when Donna cries!!” 

He heard Leo laugh and then say “Oh, I’m sure you will figure something out. Well, I just wanted to talk to the both of you. Josh, Matt wants to know what time tomorrow.” 

He sat mesmerized by Donna and they stared at each other. “Later, Leo, later. Like 1 or so.” 

“Yeah, ok, I get it, later. We’ll see you at 1. We’ll order food and meet in the Santos’ suite.” 

“Great!” 

“And Josh…” 

“Yeah?” 

“There are many changes on the horizon, many things that need to change, things that should change. Can you see that?” 

He pulled Donna closer to him as he responded. “Absolutely Leo. The changes are crystal clear to me now.” 

“Great, just wanted to make sure you could see that. You two have a good night. Bye Donna.” 

“Goodnight Leo.” 

With that, the connection ended. The room was eerily quiet since Donna had put the TV on mute when Josh’s cell phone rang. The two of them sat silent, wrapped up in each other. Finally, Josh put the cell phone on the table and wrapped his other arm around Donna’s shoulders. He looked down at her and saw her relaxed smile and soft eyes. He thought he could stay like this forever. Finally, he spoke to her. 

“So, how you feeling?” 

“Unemployed.” 

“Funny.” 

“Not really – I kinda don’t have a job to go to tomorrow.” 

“Wait – if you all had won, you were working tomorrow?” 

“You know Bingo Bob!” 

“Donnatella Moss!! After all the times you got on me for, and I quote, ‘not respecting the Vice-President’, now you come with the Bingo Bob references!?!” 

“Yeah, well, doesn’t really matter anymore, huh!?!” 

He just laughed – laughed like he hadn’t laughed, well, since before the Gaza trip. He wondered for a moment how they had gotten so far away from each other, but then he remember that they were currently sitting on a table, wrapped up in each other, so he decided to focus on the current situation and not the past. 

“Glad you find my current state of unemployment so funny!” 

“You wanna get out of here?” 

“Absolutely!” 

He jumped off the table and grabbed her hand and pulled her off the table and to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she did the same to him. They stared at each other for what felt like eternity to him. They smiled and held onto each other when he heard Donna whisper something very unexpected. 

“Will.” 

“I’m sorry, what did you just say!?!” 

“Will.” 

“Really?!? Did you really just say ‘Will’?” 

She smiled sheepishly at him. “Yeah, I kinda did.” 

“God, Donna. We were totally having a moment, a great moment, a moment I have spent a lot of time thinking about while riding on the back of campaign buses, sleeping across the hall from you in hotels, watching you deal with the press on TV and you have to go and whisper another man’s name to me!” 

“Ok, we will get back to that whole train of thought in a minute, Joshua, but I should really call Will to make sure he is alright.” 

He just smiled at her. No matter how much she had changed professionally, she was still the caring, good-natured woman that had spent all that time working with him in the White House. 

“Yeah, I guess you should make sure he hasn’t thrown himself in the ocean or laid down in front of the Santos for President bus, waiting for it to run him over…” 

“Funny man, Joshua, I forgot you were such a funny man.” She unwrapped her arms from around his waist and he immediately missed her and how he felt wrapped up in her. He watched her cross the room to her cell phone and dial Will. He grabbed his phone from the table and dropped it into his pocket and walked up behind her. 

“Bill Wailey!” 

“Will??” 

“Yeah, I meant Will, not Bill. Don-nana-nana?? Ish that you?” 

She started to giggle and Josh wrapped his arms around her waist. She held the phone out from her ear enough so they could both hear what he was saying. 

“Oh God – are you drunk?” 

“Stinking!” 

Josh shook his head and silently laughed at the current state of Will. 

“Will, where are you?” 

“Don-nana-nana, there is this great bar right next door to the convention shenter… they have the greatest tequila shooters EVER!!” 

“Will, please tell me you aren’t drinking alone?!?” 

“Nope, I’m with…. Hmm… what is his name… that dude that worked for Hoynes. He’s definitely drunkener than I am but he’s buying, so what do I care?!?” 

Donna just hung her head, not real sure what to do – she knew how to take care of a drunk Josh, but she had never dealt with a drunk Will. She just looked at Josh and he understood. He took the phone from her and started talking to Will. 

“Will?” 

“Joshshshshsh… dude, you totally kicked my ass tonight!” 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” As he talked, Donna turned around and re-wrapped her arms around his waist so they were standing as they had been before they decide to call a very drunk Will Bailey. 

“No you are not sorry. Don’t apologisss to me!” 

He just shook his head. “You’re right. I’m not sorry. Had a job to do.” 

“Yeah, well, you did it much weller than me, that’s for damn sure.” 

“Will, are you gonna be alright?!?” 

“Yeah, I’m starting to not feel so well.” 

“Will, is there a Russell volunteer around that can get you back to your hotel.” 

“Hmmm…. Lemme look”. The other end of the phone was quiet for a minute. “Yeah, there is that girl that Donna said likes me… wish I could remember her name.” 

He looked at Donna and whispered “the girl that likes Will.” She smiled and replied “Becky.” 

“Will, her name is Becky. After we get off the phone, go ask her to help you back to the hotel.” 

“Yeah, Becky is so berry cute. Donna was right – I should ask her out, but it didn’t feel right while campanning…” 

He smiled at Donna while he replied, “I know what you mean, but Will, if you think she might be the real deal, don’t waste time. You never know what kind of drama tomorrow may bring.” 

“Joshshsh, you are a smart man. You know, she was always your girl right? Didn’t matter that she was working with me or for Russell. She could be halfway around the world and she would still be your girl, you know that right?” 

He pulled Donna closer to him. “Actually, I didn’t know that Will, but I’m glad to hear you say that. It’s good information to have.” 

“Well, glad to help. OK, I’m gonna go ask Becky to help me back to the hotel. You think I should ask her out tonight??” 

“Will, I would definitely wait until tomorrow – sober would be better for that kind of thing, don’t you think?” 

“This is why you are useful Lyman. They weren’t lying about that Fulbright Scholarship! Tell Don-nana-nana good night for me. Make sure she gets home alright.” 

“Absolutely. Goodnight Will.” 

He snapped the cell phone closed. He looked down at her and smiled. “You hungry?” 

“You buying?” 

“When aren’t I buying?” 

“Then I’m hungry.” 

He laughed, placed a kiss on her forehead. They unwrapped their arms from around each other and walked out the door hand in hand. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

The area around the convention center was starting to become deserted by the time they exited through the main door out into the night. It was a perfect night – warm, but not too warm, with no clouds in the sky. He turned Donna toward him and grabbed her free hand. 

“So, Miss Moss, what would you like to eat? We can just walk until we find a place that looks good, if you want.” 

“No.” 

“No? I thought you were hungry.” 

She giggled. “No, I meant no, I don’t want to go sit in some crowded restaurant where we can barely hear each other. I would prefer to get take out and go sit somewhere. It’s such a beautiful night – I hate to waste it inside.” 

He just watched her talk. Her blue eyes and the way she was rubbing her thumbs along both of his hands mesmerized him. “We can do whatever you want Donna – hell, I’d take you to Paris tonight if you asked me to.” 

“Well, not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but you do need to be back at the hotel at 1 tomorrow to meet with the Santos’ and Leo – that might be a bit much.” 

He just smiled. 

“Ok, well, let me see..” He looked around the area and pointed across the street. “Well, I’ve gotten food from that store quite a bit this past week, they are kinda a catch-all store, I can get just about anything from there.” 

She seemed quite on board with that idea. “Ok, you go over and get the food – I’ve got to go back up to the room for something.” 

He started getting that ‘I’m gonna whine’ look on his face. She did her best to stifle a laugh. 

“DONNA! You aren’t coming with me?” 

“No, Joshua, you will be fine. I’m gonna go back upstairs and get a couple of blankets so we can go sit on the beach – it’s just a few blocks from here. This time of night, it should be mostly quiet and deserted, if you are starting to catch my drift!” 

Oh, he definitely liked this idea much better than some stuffy restaurant. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ok, but hurry. What do you want to eat?” 

“Surprise me Joshua!” 

“Always Donnatella.” 

With that, she placed a light kiss on his cheek and ran back through the doors. All he could do was sigh as he watched her walk inside. He started across the street to the store. ‘This is as it should be’ he thought to himself. ‘She seems to be on the same page as me, hopefully.’ 

Josh entered the store and smiled at the cashier. He walked around picking up sandwiches, beer, chips, and a pre-packaged piece of homemade chocolate cake. He paid and walked out. He saw her standing under the street light, waiting for him. All he could do was stare. “What the hell was I thinking for all these years?” he muttered to himself as he stared at the beautiful blonde who was smiling at him from across the street. He darted back toward her. As he reached her, she stretched out her arm and opened her hand to him. He immediately grabbed it and laced their fingers together. 

“Follow me, Joshua.” 

‘I’d follow you anywhere Donna Moss’ he thought to himself. He gave her a full-on dimple smile and let her lead the way. 

+++++++++++++++++++++ 

Donna rooted through the bag of food as Josh opened on of the blankets on the beach. He found a great spot – he was very proud of himself for spotting this location. He had actually spotted this a few days earlier when he and Ronna had taken a walk just to get some fresh air. When he saw it, he knew that he was going to find some way to bring her here before they headed back to Washington. There was a large rock with a smooth front that they could lean back against. The rocks jutted out just enough to create a small alcove on the beach. There was just enough light from the boardwalk and the street above them to create the atmosphere he thinks they both had been looking for. 

When he finished with the blanket, he looked at her. Her eyes were wide and she was smiling as she pulled the piece of cake from the bag. He started to laugh and she looked back at him. Without saying a word, he took the bag from her and placed it on the ground. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she did the same to his neck. They stood wrapped up in each other for awhile. He placed a light kiss on the side of her neck and pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. 

“Hungry?” 

She felt dizzy, but not from hunger. She was dizzy from the way she was feeling, being here with him. She had spent so much time ignoring those feelings, ignoring the way she felt when it was just the two of them. She wasn’t real sure what to do now – obviously their ‘relationship was about to change’ – as he had put it to her all those weeks ago in the White House closet, but she was still unsure of her footing. Then, he had to go kiss her neck and that sent her world reeling. She knew he was talking to her, but she hadn’t heard a word he said – all she could concentrate on were those dark brown eyes. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

He laughed. “I asked if you were hungry. Do you want to eat?” 

“Oh, yeah, eat, yeah, yeah, I’m starving. Can we start with the cake?” 

“Donna Moss! That’s not the healthiest way to start a meal! All those times you yelled at me about eating a good meal and eating it in the right order - what about all your rules and such?” 

“Josh, I’m pretty sure the rules went out the window awhile ago!” She gave him a sly grin and saw that the double meaning had not been lost on him. 

He smirked and lowered his voice just enough so that she would be only one to hear him, not that there was anyone else around. He looked her straight in the eye. “Donna, we can do this however you want.” 

She felt herself get lightheaded again. She leaned up and whispered in his ear “Glad to hear it. I like to be the one in charge.” 

He whispered back – “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.” 

She pulled back and smiled at him. “Great, so chocolate cake first it is!” 

+++++++++++++++++++ 

They ate in silence. They devoured the piece of cake and then turned their attention to the sandwiches and beer. After an hour, the sandwiches, chips, and four of the six beers were gone. Josh gathered up the garbage and put it in the now empty bag. He leaned back against the rock, his right leg bent underneath him while his left leg was pulled up to where he could rest his left below on it. He was enjoying the silence of being with Donna and enjoying the ocean when she finally spoke. 

“Josh, what’s going on?” 

“What to you mean?” He turned his head to look at her to discover she was staring out at the ocean. ‘She must be nervous’ he thought, ‘otherwise she would be looking at me’. He had discovered that about her early on – whenever they talked about something that truly made her nervous, she struggled to look him in the eye. 

“Josh, not that I haven’t enjoyed the last couple of hours, I really have, but I might be a big confused about what is happening between us.” 

“I’ll answer you, but you have to look at me Donna.” 

He watched her grin and turn her entire body so that she was now resting on her knees and looking directly into his eyes. 

“It’s what I like to call ‘Changes in Attitude’. I was inspired watching the Congressman give his speech yesterday. I knew that he was going to give a concession speech – it’s what the plan had been, but then he had a moment with Helen and his attitude changed. He gave an inspired speech, and just like that, the delegates and even the President had a change in attitude. Then Leo, he decided to accept our offer of the Vice-Presidency – just like that, another change in attitude. He went from being a behind-the-scenes guy to the guy who finally going to have his moment in the spotlight. I decided then and there that I was going to follow suit. I realized something, Donna – I realized that this is my time, my life, my moment, and that I’m going to do this how I want to do it. I’m done living up to some unbelievable moral standard that no one can measure up to. When we win the White House, it’s going to be on my terms, on the Congressman terms, and no one else’s. Too much has happened, I’ve lost too much to not do this my way this time around. So, I like to refer to this time as ‘Changes in Attitude’ and you are a big part of one of the changes I plan to make to my life!” 

He had watched her eyes all the while making this speech. Her expression had moved from confusion to wonder to awe to, what he thought, was love by the time he was finished. He could tell her eyes were glistening. 

“Are you gonna cry again?” 

“Dammit Josh – there you go being, well, you again…” 

“Wow, that sound vaguely familiar.” 

“Shut up!” 

With that, he watched as she launched herself on to him. He grabbed her waist and pulled her down in the opening that his current sitting position had created. He was now cradling her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled back just enough so that he could look at her. He saw a look of undeniable happiness and couldn’t help but smile back at her. 

“You know what I can’t believe Joshua?” 

“Donnatella, I am sure that there are many, many things that you don’t believe at this point…” 

“Actually, there are only two things that I don’t believe at this point.” 

“Hmm… well then maybe we should get to the bottom of those two things then.” 

“Right.” 

“OK, shoot.” 

“Well, first, I can’t believe how unbelievably patient you seem to be tonight. I mean, just sitting there in silence while Santos spoke, talking to the Santos’ and Leo, dealing with a drunk Will, all the sitting in silence we’ve done since we got here – you have to admit, it’s not the typical you.” 

“Changes in attitude, Donnatella, changes in attitude. I’ve just gotten done explaining this to you.” 

“Right, right, right, I forgot.” 

“Ok, so what is the other thing that you don’t believe?” 

She shifted up just enough so that their faces were now parallel and inches apart. She tightened her arms around his neck just a bit and lowered her voice. “I can’t believe that you haven’t kissed me yet.” 

He was floored at her overtness. He was trying to be romantic and trying to bring the woo and she just throws that out there. Everything else had fallen away from the two of them as he got lost in her eyes and how she felt pressed up against him. His jaw dropped every so slightly as he sat there stunned and that’s when she decided to up the ante a bit. 

Before he knew what was happening, her lips found his. The kiss quickly moved from innocent and chaste to soul-searing and mind-blowing. He pulled her tighter to him as she ran her fingers through his hair. Without losing contact with her lips, he straightened out both legs and maneuvered them into a position where she was laying half on top of him. They continued to make out like teenagers as he wound his fingers through her hair and she molded herself to him. 

Finally, she broke the kiss and pulled back. As soon as he looked her in the eye, she started to cry and she buried her head in chest. 

“Umm… Donna?” 

*Sob, sob, sob* 

“Donna? Oh god, are you alright? I didn’t mean to push… you just surprised me, not that I didn’t like the surprise, and I kinda just when with the moment… Donna? *Sob, sob, sob* 

“Donna, please talk to me?” 

*Sob, sob, sob* 

“Ok, that’s it. Sit up.” He pushed her off of him and sat up. He made sure they were sitting across from each other and put both hands on the side of her face and forced her to look at him. 

“Donna…” 

“Oh god, Josh, what the hell is going to happen to me tomorrow?” 

He knew he looked confused and felt just a little lost. “What do you mean?” 

“I’m unemployed. I bet on the wrong horse and now I’m out of a job!” *Sob, sob, sob* She looked down at the ground. 

He couldn’t help but smile. “Donna, look at me.” 

She shook her head no. 

“Donnatella, please.” 

Hearing her full name made her look him in the eyes. 

“Donna, you can do whatever you want tomorrow and forever after that. You want to go back to school – I’ll help you fill out the Georgetown application and pay your tuition and help you study and yell at your professors about them being wrong about the hundreds of things they will be wrong about. You want to go work for one of the thousands of non-profit organizations in DC, I will call everyone I know. You want to bum on the beach for a couple of weeks, I’ll gladly buy the tickets to Maui and tell the Congressman he is on his own and stare at you in a bikini all day. Donna, you can do whatever you want, but starting the day after tomorrow.” 

*Sob* At least the crying had slowed down. “Why not tomorrow?” “Cause tomorrow, we are spending together, doing nothing or everything or anything you want.” 

While her eyes were still wet, the crying had stopped and she was starting to smile again. 

“You’d really pay for me to go back to school?” 

“Well, mom is always getting on me to do something with the money dad left me. At least I know that would be a good investment, but really, you don’t need school. You have more experience and are much smarter than most of the kids coming out of Georgetown these days.” 

Good, now she was laughing. 

“Are we really going to spend all day together tomorrow?” 

“Damn straight!” 

“What about your meeting with the Santos’ and Leo?” 

“Come with me.” 

“Really?!?” 

“Yeah, sure, why not. The Congressman will be grateful for the all input he can get at this point.” 

“You think if I impress the Congressman tomorrow, he might offer me a job?” 

Josh couldn’t help but laugh at this point. He was going to wait until tomorrow to broach the subject of her joining the Santos campaign, but now that she brought it up… 

“Trust me Donna, you’ve already impressed him.” 

“How?” 

“Everything you did during the stem cell vote – all he could talk about for days was ‘Russell’s chicken fighter’.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, but Donna, you know that Santos has entrusted his campaign manager with all hires, right?” 

“Really – think you could get me an introduction tomorrow? I want to make a good impression!” 

He smiled. “Believe me, Donna, he’s already impressed. He’s had a long time to watch you work, learn, interact with Senators and Representatives, with Senior Staff and interns. He knows your brilliant mind and knows what an asset you would be to any campaign.” 

“I don’t know. I’m afraid he might be disappointed in me. I’m just waiting for him to say ‘I told you so’ about Russell and that he is going to make me eat that decision at some point.” 

That kind of hurt – that she thought he would ever be disappointed in her. “Donna, do you really think that I’m disappointed in, that you could ever let me down.” 

Her eyes started to glisten again. They hadn’t broken eye contact this whole time – she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to look away from those brown eyes again. “Josh, I know that you think Russell is a joke – you made that very clear to me on more than one occasion, even before we both left the White House. I know you, Josh, I know you want to chide me for choosing Russell over Santos.” 

“Never, Donnatella, never. I have never been more proud of you than I have been over the last few months – and that includes the Social Security catch and Stackhouse’s problem way back when. You are brilliant and determined and, if I can say so, gorgeous. You’ve always had my admiration. Please don’t ever think otherwise ever again.” 

She got up on her knees and he did the same and they wrapped their arms around each other in a loving hug. 

“Josh” she whispered in his ear. 

“Yeah” he replied as he kissed her neck. 

“When can we get back to the kissing?” 

“Umm… now.” 

“Well, now would be great, but I’m thinking that maybe we should move this someplace more private, someplace a little less, oh I don’t know, outside.” 

He crushed his lips to her mouth for another of what was going to be a long line of kisses they would share that night. “I love that idea. Love it, love it, love it!” 

“Go throw the bag away and I will fold up the blankets.” 

Josh was off like a light, running toward the trashcan on the boardwalk as Donna folded the blankets. He ran back to meet her and he placed his arm around his shoulder as she put his around his waist and they strode off toward the hotel. 

++++++++++++++++++ 

The elevator doors shut as Josh kissed Donna and hit the ‘8’ button at the same time. 

“No, I don’t think so” she said as she reached back and hit the ‘5’ button. 

“Donna, what are you doing?” 

“We are going to my room.” 

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

“I have a nicer room.” 

“Liar. I’ll bet $100 that we have the same exact type of room. Besides, I have a better room.” 

“Oh really, why is that?” 

“Cause I’ve already ordered coffee and toast for two for 9 tomorrow morning.” 

He looked at her like she was the most brilliant woman in the world. “Awful sure of yourself, Donna?!?” 

“Let’s just say I’m optimistic.” 

He threw his head back and laughed. The elevator dinged at the 5th floor. He let go of Donna and pushed her out the door. 

“What – you aren’t coming?” 

“I’ll be down in a minute. I want to go get some clothes and what-not.” 

“Hurry!” 

As the doors started to close, he put his hand between the doors and yelled “Donna!” 

“I’m still right here.” 

“Come here.” 

She walked back over to him as he stood between the doors. He pulled her back to him, kissed her with everything that he had in him and whispered “I have to tell you before you head down to your room, I love you.” 

She gasped and pulled back, but the look in his eyes laid all her fears to rest. She knew he meant it and was going to mean it forever. “Joshua, I know. And guess what?!?” 

“Hmm… you love me too?” v“I love you too.” 

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes!” 

With that, he stepped back and let the doors close as she ran down to her room. 

9 minutes later, Josh was knocking on her door, a little out of breath from running down the halls between his room and her room. What little breath he had left was gone when Donna opened the door wearing nothing but a hotel bathrobe. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

The rest of the night was spent discovering what they both knew all long – that they were going to fabulous in bed together. He was pretty sure that they both had screamed each other’s names during the night and he hoped that no one was next door to them that were associated with any campaign! He thought ‘only we could manage banter and sex at the same time’ as she whispered something about redlights and greenlights and red dresses and tuxedos in his ear as he rolled on top of her for their third go-round of the night. After hours of sex and kissing and exploration, they finally fell asleep wrapped up in each other, as they had started the night back in the Russell conference room. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

He awoke to knocking at the door at 9am sharp. He forgot where he was for just a moment until he inhaled the scent of lavender. ‘Thank god that wasn’t a dream!’ he thought as he managed to get out from underneath her and pull on his boxers before he answered the door to retrieve the coffee and toast that Donna had promised him last night. As he wheeled the cart across the room, he saw her stir under the covers. 

“Josh….” 

He turned and just the sight of her disheveled and doe eyed from just waking up was more than he could handle. He pinned her to the bed with his eyes and quickly made his way back over to her. 

“What about the food?” 

“Toast is toast, warm or cold, and the coffee is in a thermal pot – it will hold for a couple of hours.” She didn’t even have a chance to reply before he was under the covers with his hands all over her and kissing her senseless yet again. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Finally, at 11:15, he awoke again. He opened his eyes to the back of a blonde head of hair. He smiled and leaned up kissed her temple and got out of bed. He grabbed the robe that had lived on the floor for most of the night and put it on. ‘Yup, still warm’ he thought as he poured the coffee. He heard her stir as he poured the second cup. 

“You aren’t planning on bring me coffee, are you?” 

“I absolutely was.” 

He turned with both cups of coffee and made his way toward the bed as she sat up and pulled the white sheet over her and tucked it under her arms. He sat down next to her and handed her the cup. 

“What time is it?” 

“Almost 11:30.” 

“What time do you have to meet Leo and the Santos’?” 

“WE are going to meet them at 1.” 

“You really want me to come with you?” 

“Absolutely! You’re going to make a fabulous addition to the staff. And this time, Donna, I promise you, no holding you back, no bellowing – well, ok, I can’t really promise that, but you will have your pick of jobs and responsibilities – that I can promise you!” 

“Ok, but don’t expect me to respond to the bellowing any quicker than before.” 

“I would not have expected anything less.” 

They each took their turn in the shower and by about 12:45, they were out the door heading toward the elevators. 

“Josh, I need to know something before we get down there.” 

“Anything.” 

“I need to know that things aren’t going to go back to how they were. I’m not that person anymore and I can’t be satisfied with that anymore.” 

“Donna, we are going to do this together, win or lose, we’ll work together. Besides, if I had known that you knew all those tricks, I would have given you a different job a long time ago.” 

She shoved him as he smirked. “Idiot.” 

“Seriously, where did you learn some of that stuff?” 

“You really want to know?” 

“No, no, no. Pretend I didn’t ask.” 

She laughed as they reached the elevators. They walked into the car and Josh the ‘2’ button. He leaned back against the wall and she leaned into him. They rode down in silence – his arm around her shoulder and her head resting against him. 

The doors opened on the 2nd floor and they walked out. They passed several volunteers from the different campaigns. They were so wrapped up in each other and what lay ahead of them that they didn’t notice a familiar face in the group, but she sure saw them. 

“Hey, wasn’t that Josh Lyman?” one aide asked. 

“Yeah, with Donna Moss.” another responded. 

“What are they doing together?” 

Elsie made her way to the front of the group to grab the elevator before they lost it. “They are the duo that are going to win the White House for the Santos/McGarry ticket!” 

“I don’t know Elsie – Vinick is going to be hard to beat!” 

“Trust me – with those two together again, nothing is impossible. I wouldn’t bet against them!” 

The End 


End file.
